Trump tweets fire and fury while Syria burns
Tensions escalate over the use of chemical weapons, energy bills soar and the Clooney twins talk. Gerald Scarfe and Nick Curtis review a week in which Facebook’s on trial and Kit Kats go pink
Monday
Israel is credited with bombing a Syrian airbase. Calls grow for international action against Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons against his own people in Douma. Boris Johnson congratulates far-Right Hungarian leader Viktor Orban on his third election victory.
Most homicide victims in London are suspects in other crimes, police reveal. Gatwick is forced to shut when only one air traffic controller turns up for work. Gymnasts Alice Kinsella and Nile Wilson win gold at the Commonwealth Games, bringing Team England’s total medal haul to
16. Facebook notifies 87 million users that their data “may have been misused”.
Mackenzie Crooke is making a new TV adaptation of Worzel Gummidge. A crowdfunding campaign is launched to turn a Tottenham garage into a nightclub that will support mental health charities.
Tuesday
Theresa May is urged to join America in air strikes against Assad’s regime without a parliamentary vote. Donald Trump warns that Assad and Vladimir Putin will “pay a price” for the Douma chemical attack. He also calls an FBI raid on his lawyer’s office “an attack on our country”. Mark Zuckerberg is lightly grilled by superannuated congressmen.
Labour frontbencher Barry Gardiner apologies for calling the Good Friday agreement “outdated”. A street shrine to burglar Henry Vincent, killed during a Hither Green break-in, is torn down, not for the last time. Sergei Skripal remains in hospital as his daughter Yulia is released.
Energy bills are set to soar as British gas raises its benchmark tariff by
5.5 per cent. Indian media tycoon Subhash Chandra plans to turn a 62acre derelict site in Silvertown, east London, into a £1 billion theme park. A pink KitKat is to go on sale. Toffee, a dating app for people who went to public school, is launched.
Wednesday
Russian diplomat Aleksandr Zasypkin says Russia will “down” any planes and ships that attack Assad’s chemical stockpiles. Trump threatens Putin with “smart” missiles because of his support for the “gas killing animal” Assad. More than 100 people, mostly members of the armed forces, die when a military plane crashes in Algeria.
Ealing council establishes a “safe zone” around a Marie Stopes clinic to stop women seeking abortions from being harassed. Although 500 sex offences are reported on the Tube in 18 months, only 14 people are charged. Dutyfree alcohol could be sealed in bags in a crackdown on drunk passengers. Tesco profits soar from £145 million to £1.3 billion.
Usain Bolt flies in to the Commonwealth Games. Amal and George Clooney’s twins’ first word is “Mama”. The Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn is to be renamed The Kiln.
Thursday
⬤ China instigates a series of “big bang” reforms to free up trade. Three women are named among Wisden’s top five cricketers.
Theresa May summons ministers from holiday to consider action against Syria. Sir Cliff Richard attends the High Court, where he is suing the BBC over its reporting of a 2014 raid on his Berkshire home. Independent investigators confirm the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok. Bill Cosby goes back on trial for sex offences.
EDF energy puts up its prices. Carpetright is to close 90 stores. Police prepare to close the Stephen Lawrence case 25 years after his murder. Sadiq Khan is criticised by the BBC, Sky News and ITN for shutting them out of an emergency meeting on knife crime.
Londoners are “too tired” to work out during the week, a survey finds. More men trust to lucky pants than to lucky ties, another survey finds. A baby is born in China to a surrogate mother, four years after its biological parents died in a car crash. Planning officers back plans for Crystal Palace’s new
£100 million stadium.
Friday
President Trump and Mrs May prepare for action against Syria. Russia threatens war in response. A new study finds drinking more than the recommended weekly limit can shorten your life. A 24-hour strike on the District line begins. The BBC defends its plan to broadcast Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech. Harrod’s launches its first ever charity shop, in Sloane Street, in association with the NSPCC. The think-tank Reform says low-skilled jobs are being “re-badged” as apprenticeships. Zayn Malik says he is “more confident” since leaving One Direction. Temperatures in London will hit 23C next week.